New Magic
by Biniffany
Summary: Old Magic Continuation of Old Magic. It picks up immediately after the book. What happens if Kate and Jarrod can't get it to work? What happens when Kate's mom comes back? What happens if I keep asking rhetorical questions?
1. Jarrod

This is a continuation of Old Magic. It starts right where the book leaves off, and this is what I think happened.

**Jarrod**

Kate's face reddens a bit; I'm sure, even though I can't see her. And I feel her tense in my arms, probably in preparation of what's to come.

"What?!" I hear four voices exclaim.

"You can't be serious, Jarrod," Tasha says with an uneasy and confused look on her face.

"Bro, dude, you can't take Scary Face," Pecs says, and for the first time ever I'm sure, he's completely serious.

"Why not?" I reply to both of them. I tighten my hold around Kate and almost laugh. I think of what's happened and how I've changed, and how Kate is still afraid of these stupid people but she can stand up to Rhauk. She called me a coward. I wonder what she's thinking now and I inadvertently read her thoughts.

_Oh no! He doesn't have to do this._

I lean down and whisper into her hair, "No, I don't have to, I want to Kate."

She looks up at me, confused for a moment, and then it registers. _Jarrod you promised you wouldn't read my thoughts!_ She thinks.

"I know; I didn't mean to. We'll talk about this later," I reply quickly and look up to see four pairs of eyes on me. I have a feeling they missed that last bit; but their eyes look expectant, like I'm supposed to answer them. I definitely missed something. "Sorry, what?"

Tasha, apparently recovered from the earlier shock, leans in a bit, completely ignoring Kate, and whispers as if telling an important secret, stating it all matter-of-factly. "Jarrod, listen. You will be the laughing stock of the school if you go through with this. I know you've worked so hard to be accepted, and taking the witch will have made it all worth nothing. You know how much sway I have. Think about what you're doing."

"I don't need to think, Tasha, I know what I'm doing and I'm proud of Kate. You just don't like that I chose her over you." I say with surprising confidence. It's not what I said that surprises me; it's how I said it.

"Do you really think I could ever be threatened by her?" Tasha asks moving her eyes quickly to Kate and then back to mine. "Please, Jarrod. She means nothing to anyone. She has no reason for being, other than to provide company to other losers and her crazy grandmother. No one cares about her, Jarrod." I can feel myself getting angry at Tasha's words, but I calm myself down before I start a storm in Jillian's shop.

"Wrong Tasha, _I_ care about Kate. And she means more to me than you ever did," I state quite calmly in a low voice. Tasha's shock is evident on her face, but before she can respond I speak again. "Now, get out." They all stare at Kate and me for a moment, then Tasha huff's and quickly walks for the door. Pecs follows her, and I'd say he's glad to have me out of the picture. Jessica follows as well, but Ryan doesn't move. I release my hold on Kate, but only to have her stand beside me, our hands clasped. Finally Ryan speaks.

"Bro, I'm not going to tell you not to bring Kate, but I want you to know I wouldn't recommend it," he says, and without waiting for a reply he turns and leaves.

Just as the door slams behind him, I hear Kate sob.


	2. Jarrod

**Jarrod**

I turn to hold her by her shoulders. "Hey, are you okay Kate?" She's pretty upset now and after she doesn't answer, I pull her into my arms again, her head against my chest. I gently smooth her hair away from her face. I'm quite stunned, actually. It's almost funny how through all of this she's kept her composure, and then that bitch says some mean things and she's giving my jumper a thorough wetting.

"Shhh Kate. It's okay," I attempt to calm her. "She doesn't have a clue how far from the truth what she said really was. Don't let her or anyone else get to you; this is exactly what they want." After another minute or so, Kate calms down enough to talk.

"I'm so sorry Jarrod. I'm horrible. You stand up for me and all I do is cry all over your jumper," she sniffles.

"Hey, it's okay. I needed to wash this shirt anyway," I laugh and nudge her in an attempt to cheer her up. I get a small chuckle, which is enough, considering how bad my joke really was. "And you're as far from horrible as it gets, as far as I'm concerned."

At this, she finally picks her head up and looks at me. "Thanks Jarrod."

"For what? The bad joke or the compliment?" I joke again. This time she laughs.

Jillian comes in holding a small wooden box, most likely containing things for the shop. As soon as Kate notices, she takes a step back from me and nervously pulls her hair behind her ears.

"You handled that well, Jarrod. Quite surprising if I do say so myself," she says. I'm caught off guard by her comment and realize I'd completely forgotten she was there; my thoughts were on Kate and how Tasha was affecting her. I'm caught even worse when she continues. "Oh, Kate, please. We're all mature here. I've been waiting for you guys to get together. Now I'm not telling you to go get pregnant, you're smarter than that; but I'm not enforcing a three-foot rule here," she smiles at our obvious embarrassment and busies herself with the things she places on this counter and that. I'm grateful. I felt my face heat up and I'm sure it'd turned the color of a lobster.

Kate lets out a nervous laugh and starts to say something, unsuccessfully. She laughs again. I smile and offer her my hand. She gratefully takes it and smiles, standing next to me, our fingers interlaced.

Jillian straightens, then, looks at us, smiles, and says. "Could I interest anyone in some more tea?"

Kate and I both answer at the same time. She says, "Sure," while I say, "Sorry I can't." Kate looks to me for an explanation but speaks before I can give her one.

"Oh, right," she says. "Family business. Go, and make sure to send our wishes, though you might not need them anymore," she smiles. "Give me a call later, k?"

"I promise I will," I reply, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Then I look to Jillian. "Erm. Bye Jillian. Thanks for everything," I say, a little uncomfortable. I want to kiss Kate, but not in front of her grandmother. Apparently, Jillian notices my discomfort.

"You helped yourself, I just put you in a position to do it," she replies, refusing to take credit. "Bye Jarrod, I hope to see you soon," she says before heading for the kitchen. _I have a feeling you're going to be seeing a LOT of me,_ I think and smile inwardly.

Kate turns to face me. She wraps her arms around my neck and I, in turn, put my arms around her. "I hope to see you soon too," she says.

"Well, like I said, I'll call you tonight, but is tomorrow soon enough for you?" I grin.

"It'll do," she laughs. Then she becomes serious. "Um, Jarrod?"

"Yes?"

"Were you serious about taking me to the party?"

"Of course I was, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, it's a pretty big deal. I mean you heard them. If you wouldn't want to go with anyone else, maybe we could just watch some movies and hang out or something instead."

"Kate, I would like to go. But only with you. If you really don't want to go, I have no problem just hanging out. Just think about how much you care about what they think. As long as I have you, I couldn't care less about them. Just think about it, please." I give her a slow kiss and tighten my hold on her for a moment before I let go and step back. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Jarrod," she replies, and I leave.


	3. Kate

**Kate**

After Jarrod leaves I go into the bathroom to wash up a bit. As I splash cold water on my tear-stained face I think of what has happened in the past hour. Jarrod wants to take me to the party, and as much as I wanted to go before, now I'm not so sure I want to go. I just wanted to go and have a good time and feel accepted for one, but now it seems like going will cause more problems than it will solve.

But he's right: I worry too much about what they think. I thought him a coward before and now he's standing up for _me_. To Tasha, no less. After all of this, I at least owe him to go.

That's it; my mind's made up. And though I'm still having second thoughts, my decision is staying.

I dry my face, feeling better, and I go into the kitchen. I take the cup of tea Jillian made for me and blow on it. I sit next to her and we sip in companionable silence. Finally she speaks.

"So?"

I nod, and say, "Yep, I'm going." We sit in silence for a few moments. "Want to do my hair?" I grin.

"Thought you'd never ask!" she jumps up and starts playing with my hair, twisting it this way and that, mumbling to herself. I sit and sip, thinking of what's to come.


	4. Kate

**Kate**

Around 5 Jarrod calls as promised.

"So what're you doing?" he asks after we greet each other.

"I'm standing on the kitchen table," I reply, smiling.

"Standing on the table?" he repeats.

"Yes," I say, like standing on the table is the most normal thing in the world.

"And why are you standing on the table?"

"How else is Jillian supposed to hem my dress?"

"Your dress?" he asks, and I can tell he's smiling too.

"Would you rather I wear sweatpants tomorrow? I will if you want me too, but I must say my hair might be overdone with the sweats."

"No the dress will do... So this means we're going to the party?"

"Yes it does, as long as you still want to."

"Of course I do. Ooh, I can't wait to show you off," he laughs.

"_Jarrod!_" I gasp in mock surprise.

"Well can I help how beautiful you are?" he asks, then continues, "Especially in that dress?"

"Thank you," I blush a little.

"You're welcome, Lady Katharine," he replies.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" I ask.

"Nothing much, why?"

"Well Jillian offered to make some alterations to your outfit, and maybe we could watch a movie before we get swamped with missed school work when we go back on Monday.

"Sounds great. I'll be over in a bit."

"Okay, see you then."

"-Oh, hey, Kate?" he asks before I hang up.

"Yeesss??" I reply.

"Do you think you could find a way to keep the dress on until I get there?"

I laugh. "We'll see. Goodbye, Jarrod," I laugh again and I hang up.


	5. Jarrod

_(Sorry for the delay; things are busy with school starting and such. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Jarrod... (Well, Kate too, I guess ;) ) I'm still looking for an editor, by the way, please e-mail me if you're interested Thanks for all the great feedback everyone!)_

**Jarrod**

I knock on Kate's door about a half hour after we hang up. Kate opens it... _not_ in her dress.

"What? No dress?" I joke-pout as she backs away so I can enter.

"Think of it as a surprise," she grins and shuts the door behind me.

"Kate, I hate to burst your proverbial bubble, but I've seen you in the dress. It looks great, don't get me wrong, but it's not much of a surprise, I'm afraid."

"You'll see," she grins.

"Jarrod? Is that you?" Jillian calls from the top of the stairs.

"Yep, it's me, Jillian," I call back.

"Perfect. I have your outfit right here," she says, coming down the stairs. Once she reaches us, she hands me a bundle of cloth. "Here you go. You can change in Kate's room if you like."

"Thanks," I reply, taking the clothing. "I'll be right back," I add as I start up the stairs.

I open the door to Kate's room, turn on the light and set my outfit on the bed. I take a quick look around, standing where the ceiling is its highest. I'm tempted to check out some of the knick-knacks Kate has on her dressers, but I figure there'll be time for that another day, and undress. I put the old, heavy clothing on, remembering the last time I wore them. I fold the clothes I was wearing and put them on her bed, then head back down the stairs.

I can hear Kate and Jillian talking as I near the kitchen. I walk into the kitchen and simply stand near the doorway, not wanting to interrupt. After a few seconds there, I learn that they're arguing over hair styles for the fancy dress party. Jillian apparently thinks Kate should have intricate braids, saying they would go with her dress. Kate can't decide what she wants.

"I think you should leave it down. You've got really nice hair," I say during a lull in their conversation so as not to interrupt. Kate's head swings toward the doorway, where I'm standing, and then she smiles.

"Thank you, Jarrod. I think that's what I'll do," she declares. I walk over and take a seat next to her at the table.

"Okay then, that's decided. Now, Jarrod, what shall we do with _your_ hair?" Jillian asks, and we all laugh.


	6. Kate & Jarrod

**Kate**

After Jillian finishes working on Jarrod's outfit, he changes back into his jeans and T-shirt, and we pop in The Matrix. A few minutes in, Jillian goes to her room to read, claiming she has no clue what's happening. As soon as she's gone, I move in closer to Jarrod. It's not that I'm embarrassed, but it feels odd to be close to Jarrod when Jillian's around.

We're quiet for a while, commenting on the movie here and there, but not really talking. But soon a line from the movie reminds me of something.

"Speaking of minds, you read mine earlier," I say, turning to look at him.

"I did," he says, wincing apologetically. "I didn't mean to, it just happened."

"Eh, it's okay," I say. "I mean, I don't want you to read my mind whenever you want, but I was thinking…"

"Uh-oh… What now?" he jokes.

"It might be a good idea for you to read my mind once in a while. Like, when I give you a signal or something. Hell, it could be fun," I smile mischievously.

"Allllright…" Jarrod agrees slowly, thinking about it. "But what kind of signal are you talking about?"

"I don't know… Something like this?" I make a funny face: my eyes cross, tongue hangs out, and nose wrinkles. I hold it for a second, then Jarrod starts laughing and I do too. We joke around for a bit, but finally decide on a system of _special looks_. There's one for him to ask if he can read my mind, one for me to tell him to, and a few others.

We end up talking through the rest of the movie, and I'm very disappointed when it ends. I don't want Jarrod to leave. I had so much fun with him tonight. But finally, he calls his dad and he says he'll be over in a bit.

When he hangs up he's standing in the kitchen and I come to stand by him.

"Jarrod, are we… er, well… are we a couple? I mean…" I pause. "Damn," I say finally. "I shouldn't have brought this up." I look everywhere but at Jarrod, trying to find something to say, anything. Jarrod's done this before, the boyfriend/girlfriend deal. I haven't. He knows how these things work. I should have left this up to him. I mean, yea, we're into each other, I really like Jarrod, but that doesn't mean we have to be a couple. An item.

There's a silence between us that seems to last forever. I can almost hear the wheels in his head turning, trying to find a way to say No without hurting me too much. He opens his mouth as if to say something, and we hear a car horn beep twice outside. His father's here. No! Now he'll have all night to think of what a retard I must be. His chest drops as he lets out the breath he was going to use to tell me he doesn't want to be my boyfriend. He takes another breath. This time he uses it.

"He's here. I better go. Uh, I'll pick you up at 6?"

I only nod in response. He grabs his jacket and clothing then comes back over to me. "Er, bye Kate," he says before giving me an awkward kiss on the cheek and leaving,

I numbly tidy up the living room and go upstairs to bed.

**Jarrod**

Dad and I make small talk on the way home, but not much more. I guess I don't look to happy, but I can't help it. I mean, I had assumed that Kate and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, and I thought she had too. Why bring it up then, other than to let me know she didn't want that?

My mind drifts and I think about the past few hours. I had so much fun tonight. It's amazing to see her open up without being afraid of what someone will think of her…

But why wouldn't she want to be my girlfriend? My mind keeps going back to that thought. Had I done something wrong? Did I say something? It's so frustrating.

And we agreed not to talk to each other tomorrow until I pick her up so it would be like a real date. Why would she want to go on a date if she didn't want us to be a couple? Now I can't even call her to ask.

Dad knows I'm going to the party with Kate tomorrow, and I'm sure he knows Kate's the reason for my mood. He's always been able to tell what's going on in my head. He likes to call it _fathers' intuition_, or some junk like that. But thankfully, he doesn't bring up Kate or the party or any of that stuff at all. Another thing my Dad's good at: knowing when and when not to bring certain things up.

Once we get in the house, Mum tells Dad that Casey fell asleep while he was gone, and they both ask me if I want to watch a movie.

"No," I reply simply before getting a drink from the kitchen and going to my room.


	7. Jarrod

**Jarrod**

"That was the worst night's sleep ever," I mumble to myself as I roll out of bed. I check the clock; it's 9. Ten hours until the party. I take a deep breath, hit the bathroom and then go downstairs for breakfast.

"Mornin' Jarrod," Mum greets me.  
"Yea, good morning," I reply, sitting down. Dad hands me a plate and I fill it from the bowls and plates of food from the table.

I'm silent through most of the meal, letting Mum and Casey do most of the talking, with Dad looking up from his paper and commenting here and there. Finally there's a somewhat awkward silence over the table and I know what Dad's going to ask without reading his mind.

"So, um, Jarrod… Are you, uh…" he takes a breath. "Am I still driving you to the party?" he says finally.  
"Yea," I simply reply.

"And, uh…" he stutters, trying not to upset me.  
"Yes, Kate and I are still going together," I calmly state.  
"Ohhh! Jarrod has a girlfriend!" Casey taunts and my parents shush him.

_I wish_, I think to myself, and get up to clear my plate. "I'm taking a shower," I call to them as I head upstairs.

After my shower, I do pretty much nothing all afternoon. I feel so restless. I tried reading, but I can't concentrate. Same with the computer. Finally I just channel surf until it comes time for me to get ready. I do so quickly, trying not to remember either of the times I've worn the clothing. Finally as I finish getting ready, my dad knocks on the door, and I tell him to come in.

"Hey, you look great," he says, checking me out. I forget that my family has never seen these clothes and quickly think up an excuse in case he asks where I got them. Thankfully, though, he has other things on his mind, and doesn't ask.

"We we're going to save these for Christmas, but it seems tonight would be a good time to give them to you," he pulls out an already-wrapped box. It's small and not real heavy, wrapped in pretty green paper with my name on a card taped to the box. I can't even imagine what's in the box as I begin to open it. But as soon as all the paper's off, I read the box. Contacts! They bought me contact lenses so I don't have to wear these stupid glasses anymore.

"Thanks Dad, thanks," I say, hugging him.

"Don't mention it," he smiles. "Now go put them in so we won't be late!"


	8. Kate

**Kate**

"Jillian! Jillian? Do you know where my green earrings are!" I call downstairs. After a few minutes without reply, I finally run downstairs to find her. "Jillian? I can't find my earrings and he'll be here any minute. Where are you?" I call a few times. I finally find her sitting on the bench out back. She's leaning over, reading a piece of paper, her back to me. I call her name one more time before I see the look of concern on her face, and stop in my tracks. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen that face, and it was never good.

I take a step backwards, thinking it best to leave Jillian alone for a while, but she hears me. She turns around, takes a breath and smiles a nice fake smile.

"Kate, what's up hon?"

"Oh nothing. Don't worry," I reply, turning to go back inside.

"You've lost something. What?" she asks. Sometimes I hate the way she can read me, and the fact that she's a witch doesn't help.

"My-uh- my green earrings- you know, the dangly ones? I put them on my dresser last night and they're gone."

"They're on your other dresser," she replies, and I give her a questioning look. "You're just nervous. I don't know what happened last night, hon, but don't worry. Go tonight and have a good time. Everything will be fine. Now go get your earrings and find your shoes- he'll be here soon."

"Right. Er, thanks, Jillian," I say. I don't know if that was a family thing or a witch thing, but she amazes me sometimes.

The doorbell rings just as I'm putting in the second earring, and I call to Jillian to get it, even though I know she's already doing just that. I get downstairs as fast as possible, in these shoes, at least, to find a very handsome-looking Jarrod standing by the door, trying to appear calm. _He looks different, _I think. I attempt a smile.

"Hi," I say quietly.

Jarrod doesn't reply at first; his mouth is slightly open and he's got an odd look on his face while he's looking at me. I feel self-conscious and nervously finger an earring.

"Oh-uh, hey Kate. You-uh- you look…." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Amazing."

"Thanks," I reply, feeling a bit more comfortable. _He didn't need to say that. Maybe he does still like me,_ I think, and finally figure out what's different about him: he's not wearing his glasses. "You don't look too bad yourself," I note, and watch as his cheeks redden a bit. "You're not wearing your glasses?"

"Uh, no. My parents bought me contacts." He sounds like he wants to say more and I wait, but then nothing comes out and I can't comment because it's been a few seconds; I'll sound awkward. _Like you're not already_, I think. Damn.

Luckily, Jillian calls my name and I go into the kitchen to find her.

"Okay, here's your purse," she says, handing me the little clutch she made for me last night. "Have fun, and _don't forget to smile_."

"Thanks, Jillian, I'll try," I respond, giving her a quick kiss and turning back towards the front door, and Jarrod.


End file.
